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Brother has recently redesigned its range of colour inkjet machines.  Comprising of ten multi-function models, these machines provide a range of features aimed at different sections of the marketplace.  Acting in the role of the entry level model is the DCP-135C unit which has been priced at £49.99 with replacement cartridges cost £12.91 for black and £7.63 each for cyan, magenta and yellow.

Decked out in cream, black and grey, the DCP-135C combines print, scan and copy facilities within a unit measuring 398 x 360 x 150mm (W x D x H).  With a slight curve dropping away to the front, this multifunctional device would not look out of place in either a home or small office environment.  As with all the Brother kit I have looked at in the past, the USB connection is concealed within the body of the device while the positioning of the side-mounted power socket means you can place the device flush against a wall.

See also: Multifunction printers

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Paper output and input is via an opening at the front of the unit with a capacity of 100 sheets for input and 50 sheets for output.  Conveniently situated on the right, next to the paper access, is a compartment for inserting the black, yellow, cyan and magenta cartridges used by this multifunctional device while a PictBridge socket is located on the opposite side.  Positioned above this opening is the main control panel of the DCP-135C.  There are buttons to alter settings; switch between different modes whether working with monochrome of colour; and access the main menu.  Feedback is provided by a 5 x 1cm LCD display which gives the clearest picture when viewed from above.  Lifting the top-mounted lid reveals the flat-bed scanner unit which, although laid out in landscape orientation, adopts the familiar portrait mode for producing scans.

Setting up the DCP-135C device requires a slightly different routine depending upon whether you are using a Windows or Mac system.  With Windows you will need to install the provided MFL-Pro Suite software before connecting the DCP-135C.  The reverse is true for a Mac system.  Utilities are provided to scan images and documents with the latter having an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) option; access content stored on a camera via PictBridge; plus carry out various copy procedures.

Brother has rated this model at 25ppm monochrome and 20ppm colour when printing.  These figures are based on the device's Fast print mode which produces output that is only really suitable for draft work that will be seen by the original author.  For more presentable results to be shared with others, you need to use either

Copying, which combines scan and print functions without the computer being involved, produced a full A4 colour page in 34 seconds using the Normal print setting.  Scanning the same A4 image took 19 seconds to produce a good quality 300dpi image.  The scanner is actually capable of scanning at 600 x 2400 dpi and produces reasonable results.

http://www.brother.co.uk/g3.cfm/s_page/50670/s_level/31190/s_product/DCP135CU1